AMA president to speak about malpractice

ROOTSTOWN -- Dr. Donald J. Palmisano, president of the American Medical Association, will have a press conference on the topic of medical malpractice July 16 here.
The Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine is hosting the talk, which will focus on the medical malpractice insurance crisis and Ohio's tort reform efforts.
The talk will be from 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the Ralph Regula Conference Center Conference Room at NEOUCOM, 4209 state Route 44.
Palmisano is a general and vascular surgeon from New Orleans who was instrumental in passing the Louisiana Medical Malpractice Act of 1975 and helped to implement tort reform in that state, a NEOUCOM press release said.
Palmisano became AMA president June 18.
Tort reform was passed in Ohio in 2002, but insurance rates are still rising for medical malpractice. Some physicians with high-risk medical specialties can't afford the rates and are cutting back on services as a result, a press release said.
The talk is part of NEOUCOM's continuing medical education program, "The Impact of Tort Reform on Ohio's Medical Community."